Canada advances to the Fed Cup World Group II playoffs

After finishing atop Group A at the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Americas Zone Group I event, Canada contested the final against Chile on Saturday in Metepec, Mexico.

Canada remained undefeated in the competition and were crowned champions following a 2-0 triumph over Chile. Fed Cup rookie Katherine Sebov (Toronto, ON) won her third straight singles match of the week 6-2, 6-2 over Barbara Galtican in 59 minutes to give her country a 1-0 lead. Bianca Vanessa Andreescu (Mississauga, ON) sealed the deal for Canada thanks to a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Daniela Seguel 6-1, 6-3. This week, Andreescu went undefeated in her Fed Cup debut, winning four singles matches and two more in doubles.

“The risk to go with a young team paid off,” said Sylvain Bruneau, captain of the Canadian Fed Cup team. “The girls really outdid themselves and honestly, they played even better than I expected. They were impeccable all week.”

On Friday, sixteen-year-old Andreescu was named the first recipient of the Rene Simpson-Collins Excellence Award, given to an outstanding female junior player that exhibits the same important values and traits of the award’s namesake. The annual honour, named in memory of the former player, coach, and Fed Cup captain, will present Andreescu with a $2,000 scholarship to help offset costs related to her training and development.

By winning the Americas Zone Group I event, Canada advances to the World Group II playoffs in April. The team will find out its opponent and the location of the tie on Tuesday when the official draw takes place.